Cleopatra Wasn’t Alone in De Nile!

“When the people of the world all know beauty as beauty, There arises the recognition of ugliness. When they all know the good as good, There arises the recognition of evil…” Lao-tzu, the Founder of Taoism I wasn’t born until after World War II was over for a year. I imagine I am the quintessential baby boomer. As a child, I don’t remember my parents speaking much about the war. My mother seemed eager to forget the whole episode and my father’s painful memories and loss of his mother and sister were palpable whenever the subject was broached.

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From time to time when prodded, my mother would mention rationing, how difficult it was at home and the difficulty of being married for such a short time to a man who was quickly sent overseas. One of the civilian contributions to the war effort was rationing. Staples like sugar, gasoline, butter and other things we take for granted were in short supply. Those on the home front understood the soldiers came first, and the war was a collaborative effort by every American. One story my mother did tell however, without any qualms, was about her vivid recollection of the early Movietone newsreels, pictures depicting the earliest days of the war in Europe. She recalled whenever Hitler’s image appeared on the screen, his goosestep and mustache evoked giggles and laughs from the audience. Like some comic character designed to elicit that which is silly and stupid in us all. Even as a child the message of her tale did not fall on my deaf ears…no one recognized the devil they saw before them. Understanding this at a young age, I was quickly made aware that the adage about “the devil wearing a pleasing face” wasn’t just conversation, but a serious factor of human existence. I was also cognizant of the fact my friends’ fathers had endured great hardships as soldiers. One of my parents’ good friends had won a Purple Heart for bravery, but it had left great emotional scars. He never spoke about it, and when asked, he eluded the subject. My father and mother obviously believed the war was over and it was something to be left in the past, along with those who had paid the ultimate price. Looking back, I imagine that was the right mindset, for indeed it is vital we all move forward from pain and loss, and forge ahead into an unknown future. However, watching what is happening in the world today, I am stunned by how many have forgotten that moving ahead must not entail forgetting the lessons of the past, even if we have left the experiences behind. There is a reason man endures pain and suffering. Hard times are meant to encourage growth and wisdom. It is the only way one can become elevated to higher levels of consciousness and forgiveness. Forgetting the mistakes of the past dooms us to repeat them, and it is proven we consistently do exactly that. There have been many men throughout the ages who have warned of impending disasters much as Baron Robert Vansittart cautioned against appeasing Hitler. No one heeded his words, as is usually the case when civilization is in the state of denial and hell bent on self-destruction. I am amazed that, despite the degree of frustration I currently possess, I am somehow quite calm. This frightens me greatly as my passion is usually as evident as a black man at a KKK meeting. Yet witnessing the events of the last few weeks unfold, I remain stoic. I wonder that it is perhaps pure disbelief that prohibits me from absorbing my anger. Can I be experiencing denial myself? The very thing I castigate others for so consistently. Or am I afraid to deal with reality fearing I will become victim to its very enormity? A woman journalist is assaulted and beaten and I hear no cry from Gloria Steinham or the leaders of NOW. The very women who burned their bras and marched for equal pay, equal work and the ability to determine their own destinies are suddenly silent and walking through life like perfect Stepford Wives ignoring the harsh realities. Hilary Clinton, the consummate feminist, guards her words as she asks evil to behave itself? How does one even begin to absorb such craziness? I believe what scares me most is the fact that the world is blaming those who are safe and offer no resistance. By that I mean, they are simply frightened to speak the truth and would rather rail against those who offer no threat. We are in the midst of the Islamic Revolution. A holy war that is designed to abolish Christianity and any religion save Islam and rule the world through Sharia law. The United States blames Israel when Israel is not the problem at all. The problem is simply the fact that Islam cannot tolerate a democratic state in the midst of an Islamic world. The very existence of a Jewish State is intolerable to their leaders and must be eradicated at all costs. Yet the world plays into their insanity and says, “Yes, it is Israel, blame them. They are not cooperating.” Indeed they are not, because cooperation would assure capitulation, to hand the keys of the only democratic and western country in the Middle East to the warriors at the door. Pure madness. The West should thank God every day Israel is still there. When she is gone, Islam will be one step closer to destroying them as well. The world is watching, yet they refuse to see. We are in a holy war and yet there is only one side fighting. Who do you think will win? The side that is sitting and sucking their thumbs, or the side that is engaging in a vicious battle? Is it true that radical, insane extremists have hijacked the Islamic religion? Yes. But what difference does it make if a madman hijacks your car and drives it over you? You are still dead although it not the fault of your car. Although your car is a benign object, when the evildoer takes the wheel it becomes an instrument of destruction and murder. This is what is happening to Islam and despite its origins, it has been corrupted and is even turning against Muslims who defy the extremism. It is not only the United States’ attitude that frightens me, but the entire Western World. Strangely, and I say this with emphasis and shock, Germany and Australia seem to be the only countries that have accepted the fact they are in imminent danger from the new armies of Islam. When German Chancellor Angela Merkel spoke after Mubarak was cast out of power in Egypt, she emphasized the fact there must be certain expectations for any new government, and one of these was to keep the peace treaty with Israel. Why in the name of all that is holy was that not important to the United States who is supposed to be Israel’s ally and friend? With friends like the U.S. who needs enemies? Not Israel. No one is blameless, not women groups who are silent about the ongoing brutality against women around the world. Not the West that is shaking and quaking in its collective boots. Not us, the people who choose to ignore the unpleasant facts of life that stare us full in the face every minute of every day. We content ourselves that by keeping busy with mundane tasks, turning on only news channels that tell us what we want to hear and skirt the truth and whitewash the facts under the guise of political correctness, we can stem the coming tsunami of destruction. This appeasement philosophy did not work in the past and cannot work now. The proactive nature of evil will always land the first blow. It is the nature of life. Evil attacks and goodness defends. Who will have the upper hand? Those who are on the offensive or on the defensive? Perhaps it is a fact God designed the world so goodness will win in the end. I can accept that truth. What I can’t accept is that millions will die before good overcomes. So in a way, evil does actually win in the end. Until innocence and denial are seen not as virtues, but the surest paths to destruction and chaos, our children and their children will pay the price for our foolishness with their lives. My life, the life of those I love and the lives of every man, woman and child on this earth are of far greater importance to me than political correctness. It is time to peel away the mask of foolish disregard for reality. This is not peacetime, it is wartime, and the only commodity we are being asked to ration is our denial. Is that too much to ask to save our loved ones and the entire world?